Dolphins and Porpoises

Doug Kuntz for The New York Times

News about Dolphins and Porpoises, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 3, 2015

Dolphins are dying in large numbers in northern Gulf of Mexico, with 1,308 dead or dying animals discovered since February 2010; some researchers suspect that April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill has contributed to deaths. MORE

Mar. 1, 2015

Mexico bans use of gillnets for two years across northern Gulf of California in effort to save vaquita, porpoise that has been driven to edge of extinction as result of illegal fishing for totoaba, fish sold in China. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

DNA analysis of bite marks on harbor porpoises shows that gray seals are often responsible for wounds. MORE

Sep. 15, 2014

San Felipe Journal; snub-nosed porpoise known as vaquita has become collateral damage as poachers in Mexico sweep up giant fish called totoaba to ship to consumers in China; both animals are endangered, and experts warn that without intervention vaquita will be extinct within four years. MORE

May. 5, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Philip Hoare examines the ethics of using dolphins and other cetaceans in military operations, practice that began in the United States in the 1960s; notes while concept might be off-putting, dolphins themselves have their own violent tendencies, and have proved their usefulness in a military setting; questions, however, whether dolphins, as moral beings, might object to being weapons of war. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Newly identified species of ancient porpoise, known as Semirostrum ceruttii, had an unusually long lower jaw, analogous to the human chin. MORE

Jan. 25, 2014

Caroline Kennedy, welcomed with fanfare two months earlier as the United States ambassador to Japan, has surprised her hosts by being undiplomatically frank on a number of issues; Kennedy has criticized bloody annual dolphin hunt and Prime Min Shinzo Abe's visit to controversial war shrine, both of which touch on Japanese tradition and culture. MORE

Jan. 21, 2014

Japanese government defends practice of dolphin hunting off its coastline, taking issue with criticism by American ambassador Caroline Kennedy. MORE

Dec. 23, 2013

High death toll of marine mammals from resurgence of the morbillivirus has alarmed marine scientists, who are not sure why bottlenose dolphins have succumbed to disease; nearly 1,000 dolphins have died so far in 2013, and deaths raise new questions about the health of the ocean on the Eastern Seaboard. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Group of humpback dolphins off northern coast of Australia has been designated separate species, previously unknown, following genetic investigation by scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society. MORE

Oct. 29, 2013

Arik Kershenbaum study in journal PLoS One reports that computer algorithm used to identify songs can also identify signature whistles of bottlehose dolphins. MORE

Oct. 1, 2013

Researchers are learning how to use the breath, or 'blow,' of whales and dolphins to extract and measure hormones, microorganisms, DNA and byproducts of metabolism; goal is to improve health of captive cetaceans and to develop powerful, unobtrusive technique for studying them. MORE

Aug. 28, 2013

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says measelslike virus that suppresses immune system could be to blame for extraordinary number of bottlenose dolphins that died after becoming stranded along East Coast. MORE

Aug. 9, 2013

Federal wildlife officials raise formal alarm over deaths of scores of dolphins in waters off the east coast, saying that a fast-spreading infection could be attacking dolphin populations from New York to Virginia. MORE

Aug. 8, 2013

Unexplained deaths of hundreds of manatees, dolphins and pelicans in Florida's Indian River estuary, which supports more than 4,300 species of wildlife, is stoking fears that its ecosystem is buckling under strain of decades of pollution generated by coastal Florida's explosive development. MORE

Jan. 26, 2013

Dolphin trapped in the Gowanus Canal draws rescuers, but to no avail; dolphin, which strugged all day in the murky water, died by evening. MORE

Nov. 23, 2012

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assigns federal agent to investigate mysterious killing of six dolphins in Gulf of Mexico and several advocacy organizations are offering $30,000 reward for catching the killer or killers; it is not known if the six killings are related, but all have been deemed deliberate acts. MORE

Nov. 20, 2012

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating at least four fatal attacks on dolphins since June in northern Gulf of Mexico; killing a dolphin is punishable by up to $100,000 fine and year in jail. MORE

Sep. 26, 2012

Conservationists are offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the conviction of whoever shot and killed a bottlenose dolphin in Louisiana. MORE

May. 8, 2012

Peruvian government has yet to conclusively pinpoint cause of mass deaths of dolphins and seabirds and has failed to release definitive results from tests on the animals; some scientists argue that the deaths could be attributable to offshore oil exploration, while other fear that biotoxins or pesticides may be making their way up the food chain. MORE

Jan. 24, 2012

Over eighty dolphins have been found stranded on the beaches of Cape Cod so far in 2012, a very high number even for an area considered a world hotspot for dolphin strandings; researchers are working relentlessly with volunteers to rescue as many dolphins as possible, but so far they are unable to pinpoint a reason for such high numbers. MORE

Nov. 29, 2011

Analysis published by marine biologist Shawn R Noren in the Journal of Experimental Biology finds female dolphins swim differently during the last weeks of their pregnancy in order to counteract drag that results from their increased girth. MORE

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